Chuck Sweeny: Hiking in China nearly fatal for Rockford man

Tuesday

Jan 27, 2009 at 12:01 AMJan 27, 2009 at 6:03 PM

Matt Honson is only 26, but the Rockford native and Guilford alum has already looked death in the eye: Last week he fell down a ravine in China. Miraculously, death blinked, and Matt will live to talk about his harrowing experience.

Chuck Sweeny

Matt Honson is only 26, but the Rockford native and Guilford alum has already looked death in the eye: Last week he fell down a ravine in China. Miraculously, death blinked, and Matt will live to talk about his harrowing experience.

Honson graduated from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn., and went to the school’s seminary for a year before going to China with his wife, Nora, for an adventure. Since September, they’ve been teaching English at Jiangxi University of Science and Technology. The school recently gave Matt and Nora a month off to travel around and learn more about China.

Last Wednesday, Matt was hiking in the spectacular but treacherous Tiger River Gorge on the Yangtze River. While doing some exploring off the main trail, he lost his footing and fell more than 20 feet down a ravine, landing on his head. Matt broke his neck and fractured his skull, said his aunt, Lynnea Walsh of Hoffman Estates.

Chris, Matt’s hiking companion, climbed gingerly down the ravine and grabbed Matt’s cell phone from his pocket. Chris had little hope of reaching anyone because the signal in that rural area had been nonexistent. But he made a call anyway.

“It just so happened that back at the cottage where they were staying, their friend Tanner had just turned his phone on when Chris’ call came through. He tried to explain where they were,” Walsh said. The lady who owned the cottage gathered some farmers together, and along with Nora and Tanner they made their way for two hours to the place where Matt was lying unconscious. They made a gurney to carry Matt out of the ravine, then put him on the back of a donkey to take him to a primitive hospital in the town of Lijiang, Walsh said. Much of the slow, exhausting trip took place in darkness.

The staff at the hospital spoke no English, and Nora, Chris and Tanner waited for two days to get modern treatment for Matt. The hospital finally contacted International SOS, a worldwide medical services company. SOS agreed to fly a team of doctors and nurses to Lijiang from Beijing, and then to transport Matt to Hong Kong Baptist hospital for surgery. They had to act fast because Matt’s condition was critical. There was only one problem: money. SOS needed $77,000 upfront, payable by credit card. Honson family members in Rockford negotiated the total down to $70,000 and raised the money among themselves in four to five hours, in the middle of the night. The money was transmitted by fax to China, and Matt was taken to Hong Kong.

“The surgery took 10 hours. Matt will need to wear a neck brace for four to six months, and he’ll probably have to have a metal plate put in his skull. Matt should be fine with no brain damage,” his aunt said Monday. “We’re calling it a God thing.”

Jeff and Ann Honson, Matt’s parents, have flown to Hong Kong to be with their son. Jeff Honson is lead pastor of Northridge Community Church in Machesney Park. For many years, he was youth pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Rockford.

Although they’re thankful Matt will recover, the family will have hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospital bills to pay. If you’d like to help, make checks payable to Alpine Bank, c/o the Matthew Honson Medical Fund, P.O. Box 6086, Rockford, IL 61125. The tax-exempt ID is 26-4102728.